Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is no mass covid-19 vaccination centre in Yorkshire; and whether his Department plans to open a mass covid-19 vaccination centre in Yorkshire.

Nadhim Zahawi: In England, latest published data shows that a total of 1,763 vaccination sites have now been established including 158 large scale vaccination centres in total and 6 mass vaccination centres in Yorkshire. The location of vaccination sites is available at the following link:  https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/vaccination-sites/

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to complete the administration of first and second covid-19 vaccines to people in priority groups one and two prior to progressing to roll out those vaccines for people in priority group three.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 15 February, the National Health Service met its target to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone in the top four priority cohorts.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the format of the letters of invitation to national vaccination hubs to clarify (a) the location of the proposed vaccination centre and (b) that those patients have the option to wait for an invitation to a local centre, managed by their (i) GP surgery or (ii) local Primary Care Network.

Nadhim Zahawi: There are currently no plans to review the format of letters of invitation for a COVID-19 vaccination.The letter informs the recipient that they have a choice in how they get vaccinated. Local vaccination centres including those run by general practitioner surgeries and local Primary Care Networks are available.Patients booking vaccination appointments can choose a site that meets their accessibility needs and transport requirements and will be informed of the distance of the site from the postcode they have entered.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) local authorities and b) the Mayor of London on access to local data for the national covid-19 vaccination programme.

Nadhim Zahawi: Ministers routinely meet local authorities and the M9 Mayors - the group of directly elected regional Mayors in England - including the Mayor of London, to discuss a range of issues concerning the pandemic response, including COVID-19 vaccination programme data.NHS England and NHS Improvement provide a weekly vaccination data, including the number of people vaccinated, by both constituency and lower local authority. includes the proportion of people vaccinated for COVID-19 across a range of cohorts and geographies and population estimates are provided for most of the data. The data is available at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish weekly data on the numbers and proportion of (a) directly employed prison staff, (b) non-directly employed people who work within prisons, (c) probation staff who have direct contact with service users and (d) prisoners within each vaccine priority group when that priority group becomes eligible for vaccination who have received a (i) first dose of a covid-19 vaccine and (ii) full dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not currently held centrally in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Brendan Clarke-Smith: "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on that country's distribution of covid-19 vaccines to neighbourhood vaccination centres and remote sites.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department has had no specific discussions.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine the geographical distribution of covid-19 vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: Work has been carried out with local clinical commissioning groups to ensure that vaccine supply aligns with the number of registered patients in the priority cohort groups in the local area. Where sites progress through their supply more quickly than others, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with sites across the country to ensure that supplies are replenished to ensure an adequate and consistent supply of vaccine.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) are being offered the covid-19 vaccine in some areas of the country and not in others.

Nadhim Zahawi: To date, chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) has not been identified as a condition that makes an individual clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 or would place an individual at increased clinical risk. It is likely that some people with CFS/ME are being offered vaccines because they are eligible through other means such as their age or they have other underlying health issues that would it put them at increased clinical risk.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to follow the recommendation of the British Society of Immunology on the need to provide strong and clear messaging to the public to convey that highest level of covid-19 protection was only gained through receiving two doses of the covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government’s public information campaigns include reminders that people should return for their second dose when they are contacted. In addition, those receiving their first dose are given a record card, a note of when they received their vaccine. The card includes a statement highlighting the importance of receiving a second dose to provide the best protection.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the gender breakdown of the number of (a) white or white British, (b) other white background, (c) Irish, (d) gypsy, Roma or traveller, (e) Indian, (f) Chinese, (g) Other Asian, (h) Bangladeshi, (i) Pakistani, (j) Caribbean, (k) African, (l) Arab people who have been offered and (i) taken or (ii) refused the covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: Since 14 January NHS England and NHS Improvement have published data on vaccinations by ethnicity, which is available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/ Data on those who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine is not collected.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people without access to a (a) telephone or (b) computer can receive notice of their covid-19 vaccination appointment in a timely manner.

Nadhim Zahawi: The National Booking Service is sending physical invitation letters to registered addresses. Others can make an appointment on behalf of individuals who are not able to make it themselves.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) community nurses, (b) district nurses, (c) emergency practitioners and (d) other community healthcare workers have the same priority for receipt of the covid-19 vaccine as other NHS and social care staff.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation identified that the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers should be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Frontline healthcare staff includes staff involved in direct patient care, either in either secondary or primary care/community settings, including non-National Health Service frontline healthcare staff. Therefore, frontline healthcare workers who are community nurses, district nurses, emergency practitioners and other community healthcare workers will receive the same priority as NHS and social care staff.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to deliver accessible (a) information, (b) appointments and (c) venues for the covid-19 vaccine for blind and partially sighted people; and what steps he is taking to ensure such provision is compliant with the NHS Accessible Information Standard.

Nadhim Zahawi: Public Health England has published braille, and large print versions of COVID-19 vaccination leaflets which are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-what-to-expect-after-vaccination/what-to-expect-after-your-covid-19-vaccination Vaccination sites are subject to the same standards as all health care services to support people with accessibility needs, including those with visual impairments. This includes ensuring good lighting and clear signage. Furthermore, marshals and staff help people attending vaccination centres navigate through the centre safely. Additionally, people can choose the most appropriate vaccination service to suit their needs.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to encourage the public to receive annual inoculations of the covid-19 vaccine following the first two doses.

Nadhim Zahawi: More evidence is needed to understand whether a seasonal vaccination or booster dose might be needed. While further evidence is gathered, the Government is planning for a re-vaccination campaign which is likely to run later this year in autumn or winter. Over the longer term, re-vaccination is likely to become a regular part of managing COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including household members living with a person particularly vulnerable to covid-19 within the same vaccination cohort as the vulnerable person with which they live.

Nadhim Zahawi: Those who are eligible for a carer’s allowance or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality and therefore clinically vulnerable, should be offered vaccination in priority group six. This group includes unpaid carers. On 29 March 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that household contacts of the immunosuppressed should be offered a COVID-19 vaccination alongside priority group six.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (a) prisoners and (b) prison officers have been vaccinated against covid-19 as at 9 February 2021.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information is not currently held centrally in the format requested.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what type of covid-19 vaccine doses were (a) delivered to and (b) administered in prisons in England and Wales between 1 January and 8 February 2021.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information is not currently held in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether retired General Practitioners have been asked to assist and develop the efficient delivery of the covid-19 vaccination programme.

Nadhim Zahawi: Retired general practitioners have been asked to offer their help through the National Health Service Bring Back scheme.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the priority given to members of the public with severe allergic conditions under the covid-19 vaccination programme.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) advice on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination is based on a range of evidence and assessments, including a review of UK epidemiological data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic so far and data on demographic and clinical risk factors for mortality and hospitalisation from COVID-19. To date, having severe allergic conditions alone has not been identified as a condition that would place an individual at increased clinical risk to COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the prioritisation of the covid-19 vaccination for foster carers.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising foster carers in the covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Nadhim Zahawi: Foster carers who are eligible for a vaccine because of their age or other clinical factors such as underlying health conditions, will have access to a vaccine in the first phase.Phase two of the COVID-19 vaccine programme will cover all adults under 50 year old not already included in phase one. Prioritisation for phase two has not yet been decided, but interim advice by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends an age-based approach, which the Government has accepted in principle.The JCVI has concluded that targeted vaccination to reduce transmission or give priority to occupational groups at higher risk of exposure would not be as effective or as fast in reducing mortality, morbidity and hospitalisation as direct protection of those at higher risk of serious disease.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will launch a national campaign to educate the public on the safety and benefits of the covid-19 vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department is working closely with Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide authoritative information to the public and urge everyone to seek National Health Service advice, so they have the right information to make an informed choice about getting vaccinated.We are also working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to help social media platforms identify and take action against incorrect claims about the virus in lines with their terms and conditions. This includes anti-vaccination narratives that could endanger people’s health.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and have severe needle phobia to receive the covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: Vaccinators have received the appropriate training to make sure everyone feels safe. The process is overseen by clinicians who if required would be able to provide further assistance. We recommend that individuals with a needle phobia contact the vaccination centre directly prior to attendance to determine what mitigations they have for relevant patients and if any special arrangements could be identified to help the recipient feel more comfortable.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the people over the age of 85 who have not been vaccinated (a) have an NHS number and (b) come from a BAME background.

Nadhim Zahawi: We do not hold this information.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on estimating the volume of wastage of covid-19 vaccines resulting from restrictions on the re-use of vaccines allocated to prisoners not being permitted to be re-used for prison staff.

Nadhim Zahawi: Data on wastage of vaccination doses is not currently available. Work is ongoing across the vaccination programme to standardise and increase the information available for management purposes. However, no vaccines should be wasted.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised that where vaccine remains unused following an offer of vaccination to those in detained settings, such vaccine could reasonably be offered to prison officers.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Fay Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of how medical waste created by the covid-19 vaccine rollout will be disposed of.

Nadhim Zahawi: Medical waste is being disposed of in line with local clinical waste disposal arrangements. Through Local Resilience Forums, health and care leaders with managers of vaccine sites and other vaccines delivery facilities are working collaboratively with local authorities to ensure there is sufficient capacity for this essential function. All staff involved in vaccinating patients in all types of vaccination facility are fully trained in the vaccination process including the disposal of medical waste.

Coronavirus: Schools

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of transparent face coverings compared to cloth face coverings in protecting against covid-19 transmission in a school setting.

Jo Churchill: We have made no specific assessment.

Health Services: Private Sector

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2020 to Question 128690 on health services: private sector, if he will publish the (a) total cost and (b) cost per month of his Department's contracts for private sector capacity in each month since 1 June 2020.

Edward Argar: Total actual costs relating to the national contracts entered into by NHS England with independent sector providers for private sector capacity are expected to be made available by the autumn, subject to reconciliation by both NHS England and NHS Improvement and the independent sector.

Members: Correspondence

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2020 to Question 122736, when he plans to respond to the joint letter from the British Dental Association, Mencap, the Faculty of Dental Surgery, the Faculty of General Dental Practice, the British Society for Paediatric Dentistry, the British Society for Disability and Oral Health, the British Society for Gerodentology, the British Association of Oral Surgeons and the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry on waiting times for dental treatment under general anaesthetic which was sent to him in September 2020.

Edward Argar: We replied to the joint letter on 23 March 2021.

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services and Research

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) medical research into Parkinson’s disease and (b) care for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Edward Argar: The Department funds research into conditions through the National Institute for Health Research, which invested £6.5 million in 2019-20 in research on treatment and care of Parkinson’s disease. In addition, UK Research and Innovation allocated £8.8 million towards funding research into this area over the same period, primarily through their research councils. NHS England and NHS Improvement work closely with the National Neurosciences Advisory Group (NNAG) to develop and coordinate England’s national programme of neurology service improvement. The NNAG worked with NHS RightCare and published a toolkit in 2019 which offers a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving care for progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. NHS England and NHS Improvement have made commissioners aware that they are responsible for implementing these toolkits in their local areas. The toolkit is available at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/rightcare/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019/08/progressive-neuro-toolkit.pdf

Dementia: Prescription Drugs

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the change in the number of people with dementia who have been prescribed anti-psychotics during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to monitor the monthly data published by NHS Digital on the prescribing of anti-psychotic medication for people diagnosed with dementia. They continue to have regular conversations with regional clinical network leads and local services to understand the patterns in prescribing and potential reasons for trends being seen.The data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/recorded-dementia-diagnoses

Department of Health and Social Care: Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020, (b) 1 June 2020 to 31 August 2020, (c) 1 September 2020 to 30 November 2020 and (d) 1 December 2020 to 28 February 2021.

Edward Argar: The Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) for the Department, Professor Chris Whitty, is also the Chief Medical Office (CMO) for England. Due to the centrality of the COVID-19 pandemic to health and social care policy CSA/CMO meets multiple times every week with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Care Homes: Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance to ensure that by 1 March essential caregivers can visit their loved ones in care homes to limit the detrimental effect of isolation on older residents in care homes.

Helen Whately: As announced as part of the roadmap publication on 22 February, new visiting arrangements started on 8 March. Our guidance states that each resident can nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits. Those residents with the highest care needs can also nominate an “Essential Care Giver”. These visitors will be able to visit more often in order to provide essential care. They will have the same testing and personal protective equipment arrangements as care home staff so that they can also provide extra support, like help with washing and dressing or eating well.Detailed guidance was published on 4 March 2021.

Spondyloarthritis: Diagnosis

Tom Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NICE Quality Standard 170 on spondyloarthritis in reducing delays in diagnosis for people with axial spondyloarthritis.

Edward Argar: We have made no such assessment. Quality standards issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and represent best practice for the health and care system. National Health Service organisations and healthcare professionals should take them fully into account in ensuring that services meet the needs of patients.

Care Homes: Visits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reduced visitor access on the levels of (a) loneliness and (b) mental ill health of care home residents since the start of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: New visiting arrangements started on 8 March. Our guidance states that each resident can nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits. Those residents with the highest care needs can also nominate an “Essential Care Giver”. These visitors will be able to visit more often in order to provide essential care. Visiting arrangements that have been available throughout the period of national lockdown should continue i.e. using screens, visiting pods, behind windows or outdoors. Visits in exceptional circumstances including end of life should always be supported and enabled. We are working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and others to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the coming weeks and months.

Nurses: Housing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS trusts in London provide staff accommodation for registered nurses.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total number is of registered nurses that are living in staff accommodation provided by NHS trusts in London.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish data on the occupancy rate by (a) registered doctor and (b) registered nurse of NHS staff accommodation in London.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what most recent estimate his Department has made of the amount of staff accommodation that is unoccupied in the NHS estate in London.

Edward Argar: No such estimate has been made. The Department does not collect data on availability of National Health Service staff accommodation or on the number of staff using that accommodation.

Dementia: Social Services

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that social care needs are met (a) without people losing their family principal private residence when paying for dementia care and (b) when adjusting or supplementing Carer’s Allowance; and what steps he is taking to tackle the disparity between the fees charged by (i) private and (ii) local authority owned care homes.

Helen Whately: We are committed to bringing forward a plan for social care this year to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and to find long term solutions for one of the biggest challenges we face as a society.Carer’s Allowance is a weekly benefit and is not means-tested or contribution-based. This allowance provides a measure of financial support to people aged 16 years old or over, caring for a disabled person in receipt of a qualifying benefit for more than 35 hours a week, provided the carer is not in gainful employment.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Mr Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason it was not possible to respond to Question 167173 tabled by the hon. Member for Forest of Dean by the named day deadline.

Edward Argar: We continually evaluate Lateral Flow Device and PCR testing and are working to ensure we have the correct information to respond to Question 167173.We are working rapidly to provide all hon. Members with accurate answers to their questions, as well as supporting the Government’s response to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hon. Member’s question will be answered as soon as possible.

Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Infection Control Fund on supporting care homes with their infection prevention control measures during the covid-19 outbreak; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of that fund closing on 31 March 2021.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend the Infection Control Fund for care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: Since May 2020, the Infection Control Fund has supported adult social care providers to take several key measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission within and between care settings. The Department has been monitoring reporting from local authorities, which has shown that providers have been able to use this funding to take these key measures, such as paying staff their normal wages while self-isolating and limiting staff movement between settings.It will be important to continue rigorous infection control measures beyond 31 March as we begin to cautiously ease restrictions and reintroduce visits to care homes. On 18 March 2021, the Government announced an extra £341 million for adult social care to pay for infection prevention control measures and support rapid testing to the end of June 2021. Additionally, in 2021-22, local authorities are expected to receive estimated funding of around £3 billion to help manage the impact of COVID-19. This includes £1.55 billion of grant funding to meet additional service pressures, including adult social care.

Nurses: Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the rate of pay for registered nurses who have come out of retirement to support the covid-19 vaccination programme.

Helen Whately: Remuneration for nurses that have returned to the National Health Service via the Bring Back Staff Programme has been agreed locally between the employing organisation and the employee. The salary will be dependent on the role in which they have been employed.

Autism and Learning Disability: Health Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department undertake a national review of existing commissioning arrangements for (a) autistic people and (b) people with learning disabilities.

Helen Whately: While we have no current plans to review the existing commissioning arrangements, as part of work on the upcoming Health and Care Bill, we are supporting the National Health Service’s efforts to develop more integrated services and remove barriers and bureaucracy.

HIV Infection: Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of undertaking a review of the provision of mental health support services for people living with HIV as part of the HIV Action Plan.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that mental health support is provided in HIV clinics that have no existing psychological or mental health provision.

Jo Churchill: We would expect treatment services, such as HIV clinics, to take patients’ mental health needs into account as part of their overall care. Evidence related to people living with HIV and mental health will be considered as we develop our Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.

HIV Infection: Drugs and Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) availability of mental health services and (b) adherence to HIV medication among people living with HIV.

Jo Churchill: We would expect treatment services, such as HIV clinics, to take patients’ mental health needs into account as part of their overall care. Evidence related to people living with HIV and mental health will be considered as we develop our Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.Adherence of HIV medication among people living with HIV is captured and reviewed by the clinical teams supporting patients through their ongoing care. Clinical care is further supported through the capturing of data by the HARS database. This system enables clinical teams to record treatment and prescribing information as well as collecting markers on viral load, which can also be an indicator of a patient’s adherence to their HIV medication.

Department for Education

Universities: Coronavirus

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will require the Competition and Markets Authority formally assesses the offers made by universities for the 2020-21 student intake.

Michelle Donelan: The government is committed to transforming the lives of young people so they can go as far as their hard work will take them. Our primary goal has been to ensure that the vast majority of students who wanted to go to university in the 2020-21 academic year could do so. We took steps, with support from the higher education (HE) sector, to increase capacity in the 2020-21 cycle. The end of cycle figures from UCAS for the 2020 cycle show that the percentage of accepted applicants deferring their place only went up by 0.7 percentage points compared to 2019. HE providers, as autonomous bodies, are independent from the government and are responsible for their own recruitment decisions.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is an independent non-ministerial department. The CMA makes its own choices about which cases to take forward based on its published prioritisation principles. The CMA offers guidance on consumer law for HE providers. It has been clear that obligations under the law have not changed during the COVID-19 outbreak and that HE providers must ensure that they are meeting these obligations.The government has been clear throughout the COVID-19 outbreak that we expect providers to ensure that they are fully complying with their consumer law obligations, including in relation to admissions decisions. The department has regular contact with the CMA, including via the Consumer Benefit Forum, which was formed following the government’s consultation on the Office for Students (OfS) regulatory framework in 2017. Information about the Consumer Benefit Forum is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-wellbeing-and-protection/student-protection/consumer-benefit-forum/.On 30 November 2020, the CMA published a re-statement of their views on consumer law in relation to HE. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fc4bab98fa8f5474e63ab0b/HE_restatement_.pdf.The CMA had also previously published guidance on consumer contracts, cancellation and refunds affected by COVID-19. This sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help students understand their rights and help providers treat their students fairly. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/consumer-protection-review-of-higher-education.Although the CMA is able to take enforcement action where there are breaches of consumer law, the OfS also has an important role, as the regulatory body in HE. All registered HE providers are subject to ongoing OfS conditions of registration relating to student protection and consumer law. The OfS is also responsible for ensuring that HE providers comply with their registration requirements.The OfS does not get involved in individual student complaints, as that is for the relevant HE provider and possibly the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. Students can, however, notify the OfS of issues that may be of regulatory interest to it. These are called ‘notifications’. The OfS uses this information as part of its regulatory monitoring activity and to keep HE providers under review to ensure that they comply with the ongoing conditions of registration. The OfS has produced a guide for students to support them in this process, which is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/office-for-students-notifications/.

Schools: Coronavirus

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of (a) academy trusts and (b) maintained schools during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: As all exams due to take place in schools and colleges in England in summer 2020 were cancelled, we did not publish school, college or multi-academy trust level performance data based on summer 2020 tests, assessments and exams at any phase.We did publish national, regional and local authority level educational performance data for Key Stage 4 and age 16-18, based on summer 2020 teacher assessed grades: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years.These assessments were not designed to judge school performance, but rather simply to give pupils grades for their progression to their next stage. An assessment of the performance of different types of school has not been made.Routine, graded Ofsted school inspections have been suspended since March 2020 and will remain so for the rest of the spring term. In the meantime, Ofsted has been carrying out non-graded monitoring inspections of schools most in need of support. In the summer term, Ofsted will conduct inspections in selected schools, but the intention is that Ofsted will return to its full programme of inspections from September 2021.The Department has continued with robust oversight of academy trusts during the COVID-19 outbreak with further detail provided via the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921244/RSC_decision_making_2020_-_Sep_2020.pdf. We will continue to monitor emerging evidence, including from Ofsted, on the impact of education loss and recovery during this academic year.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 102 of the Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth White Paper, published in January 2021, when he plans to introduce the three-point-plan to enforce the Baker Clause.

Gillian Keegan: The Baker Clause was introduced in January 2018 to ensure that pupils in years 8-13 have opportunities to meet providers of technical education and apprenticeships.The department will consult this spring on proposals to strengthen the legislation and confirm timescales for implementation at that point. Subject to the outcome of this consultation, we plan to establish a new minimum legal requirement about who is to be given access to which pupils and when and will lay regulations and publish updated statutory guidance, so that schools can prepare ahead of the legal changes coming into force. This is part of a three-point-plan and will be introduced alongside taking tougher formal action against non-compliance and making government-funded careers support for schools conditional on Baker Clause compliance.We are determined to take action so that all young people can learn about the exciting, high-quality opportunities that technical education and apprenticeships can offer.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iran: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Iran.

James Cleverly: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts. Lord Ahmad made a statement on 12 February, criticising the persecution against religious minorities in Iran, particularly focusing on expropriation of Baha'i-owned land. The UK fully backs renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, so he can examine these issues further.The minister responsible for human rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, made the UK's commitment to FoRB for all clear in a number of international meetings in November 2020. On 16 November 2020, he virtually attended the ministerial meeting to advance Freedom of Religion or Belief in Warsaw and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting FoRB, particularly during the pandemic. He also reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting FoRB for all at the ministers' forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance in the same month. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister appointed Fiona Bruce MP as his special envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the alliance, who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.

Iraq: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Iraq.

James Cleverly: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities.Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. HRH Prince Charles discussed the need to promote FoRB with Iraq's Prime Minister Kadhimi during his visit to London in October 2020. HMA Baghdad regularly discusses the need to protect and empower religious minorities with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government.The UK is working to support the rights of religious minorities in Iraq who were the victims of appalling Daesh crimes. To enable the return of internally displaced persons, including minorities, we have contributed £28 million to the UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilisation, which is restoring vital infrastructure and basic services in areas liberated from Daesh. In order to support the prosecution of Daesh crimes in Iraq, we have provided £2 million to the UN Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD) and are encouraging close co-operation between UNITAD and the Government of Iraq to achieve justice for Daesh's victims.The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all in a number of international meetings in November 2020, speaking at the Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the International Freedom of Belief Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to FoRB by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the Alliance who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.

Syria: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Syria.

James Cleverly: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.Christians and people of other religions or beliefs have suffered in the Syrian conflict, persecuted particularly by Daesh. The UK is committed to supporting efforts to bring an end to this conflict as quickly as possible through the UN-facilitated political process, which aims to reach a lasting political settlement which protects the rights of all Syrians. We also support efforts to pursue accountability for the most serious crimes committed in Syria and have contributed over £13 million since 2012 in support of Syrian and international efforts to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights abuses and violations, including support to the UN International Impartial and Independent Mechanism.The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all at the Ministerial to Advance FoRB and the Ministers' Forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to FoRB by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB.

Eritrea: Religious Freedom

Imran Ahmad Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Eritrea.

James Duddridge: The UK Government takes every opportunity to voice our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea on the basis of religion or belief, and have called for release of such worshippers. We have done so directly with the Government of Eritrea and publicly - through our annual reporting on human rights and at the UN Human Rights Council. Most recently the UK raised Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Eritrea in a statement by the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, at the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea during the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council on 24 February. We welcomed the release of Muslim, Christian and Jehovah's Witness detainees in 2020 and continue to push for further releases. We also encouraged Eritrea to make progress on their commitment to the Universal Periodic Review process including the promotion of FoRB.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation: Property Development

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of damage to Local Wildlife Sites by prospective developers, prior to applications for planning permission being submitted.

Rebecca Pow: My department has not undertaken such an assessment. National planning policy expects local plans to identify and map Local Wildlife Sites and to include policies that not only secure their protection from harm or loss but also help to enhance them and their connection to wider ecological networks. Defra requires local authorities to report annually on the proportion of Local Wildlife Sites where positive conservation management has been or is being implemented. In 2018/19, 47% of Local Wildlife Sites across England were in positive conservation management. The Environment Bill contains important new measures for reversing nature’s decline. These include strengthening the existing biodiversity duty, to require all public authorities to take action to conserve and enhance biodiversity. Local Authorities will also be required to produce 5-yearly Biodiversity Reports setting out the action they have taken and its impact as part of this duty. Additionally, the Environment Bill introduces a new biodiversity net gain requirement for development. This includes measures that allow planning authorities to recognise any habitat degradation since January 2020 and to take the earlier habitat state as the baseline for the purposes of biodiversity net gain.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government: Coronavirus

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities are adequately resourced to communicate key messages to support the roadmap out of the covid-19 lockdown.

Luke Hall: The Government has allocated over £8 billion directly to councils since the start of the pandemic. And at the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced that local authorities will receive over £3 billion of additional support for COVID-19 in 2021-22. This takes the total support committed to councils in England to tackle the impacts of COVID-19 to over £11 billion.We recognise that local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures in their area, and we have provided an unprecedented level of un-ringfenced funding - with over £4.6 billion in un-ringfenced funding to councils across four tranches throughout the financial year. This funding may be used for public health communications campaigns.Additionally, the Government has provided funding to support the ongoing public health and outbreak management costs of tackling coronavirus. This funding, worth over £225 million per month during the National Lockdown, will be provided until the end of March 2021, and can be used to fund local coronavirus response public health activities including public health communications.From 1 April 2021, a further £400 million of funding will be allocated from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund, to be allocated to all local authorities in England. This is to cover further public health activities in 2021-22.

Cabinet Office

UK Trade with EU: Exports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent representations he has received on (a) delays and (b) no delivery of goods exported to EU member states.

Penny Mordaunt: Lord Frost, the Minister of State regularly meets business representatives, including through the Brexit Business Taskforce, and hears representations on the full range of challenges faced by business in adapting to the end of the Transition Period.The TCA provides tariff-free and quota-free trade of all goods between the UK and EU. We have received some examples of delays in goods being cleared by different Member States. Officials are working closely with Member State officials, businesses and their representatives to understand the reason for any delays or refusal of goods so that issues can be resolved and goods can move freely.

10 Downing Street: Iron and Steel

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what records his Department holds on the use of UK-produced steel in the construction of the briefing room in 10 Downing Street.

Julia Lopez: A briefing room has not been constructed in 10 Downing Street, therefore we do not hold the information requested. The Government is establishing facilities within 9 Downing Street which will be used for daily broadcasting by a number of news organisations, therefore I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 169917 on 22 March 2021.